Shoot Festival Presents an Online Scratch Night

Following the closure of theatres across the UK in response to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, Shoot Festival, in partnership with the Belgrade Theatre Coventry and Coventry City of Culture Trust, will present their first ever online scratch night on Wednesday 15 April.

This rapid response initiative will offer a series of paid commissions to locally based, early career artists to develop and showcase new work in response to the theme "imagine". Perhaps you can envisage a better tomorrow, take us on a spectacular journey from your living room or create an imagined reality for us to escape to.

In recent weeks, there has been much publicity around the impact of the ongoing pandemic on public venues such as theatres, pubs and restaurants. But what can sometimes be forgotten is the knock-on effect these closures have on independent artists who rely on these venues to share their work and earn a living. With limited support currently available to freelancers, there's a pressing need for projects that respond to challenges these artists face.

It's because of this that the Belgrade Theatre and Coventry City of Culture Trust are thrilled to be supporting Shut Down but Scratching - Shoot Festival's online scratch night of original live performance, visual and digital art organised by Shoot Festival.

Approximately ten micro-commissions of £200 will be available to artists and makers who consider themselves to be early-career. The term "early-career" can be interpreted broadly, but please not that this opportunity is aimed at supporting independent makers aged 18 and over who are living within CV postcodes.

Applications are currently being accepted from live performance artists working across a range of different media including theatre-makers, musicians, poets and dancers. Visual and digital artists are also welcome to apply. Performance pieces should be 5-10 minutes long, and all work must be ready to share in time for the event on Wednesday 15 April.

Formerly supported by the Belgrade's Springboard talent development programme, Shoot Festival is a biennial event showcasing the best emerging creative talent in Coventry and Warwickshire across a wide range of venues.

The deadline for applications to Shut Down but Scratching is 10am on Monday 6 April, with the event itself taking place on Wednesday 15 April. For more information and to apply, please visit coventryshootfestival.com/opportunities.